Till Death Do Them Part
by Lady Elena Dawson
Summary: "So it's true what they say about monsters: You get so used to them lurking under your bed, as soon as they disappear, you create one to fill the void." The Liars finally get their happy ending, until they realize that life doesn't stop throwing curveballs just because A isn't behind them. A post-series finale story, inspired by my brain and possibly yours.
1. Prologue

**So, it's been almost a year since I posted something... But the finale last night just inspired me too much to keep my fingers from typing. The long hiatus knocked me out of the PLL fandom a bit, and the crazy busy school year I had didn't help with that either.**

 **I am now publishing this new story, and to be honest, a lot of ideas just rushed to my head this morning, so I definitely _do not_ have this fully fleshed out. (I don't even know when it's going to end.) So, I would absolutely love your guys' feedback! Is there something you want to see the Liars deal with in their future? Let me know in a review and I'll consider your ideas (and give you a shout out, of course)! **

**I hope you guys enjoy!**

* * *

 **Till Death Do Them Part**

 **Prologue**

When the A drama had ended, the drama of adulthood had begun. The best friends had trouble connecting to their adult selves even at age twenty-three because of the return of A, which made them feel trapped in their teenage years again. Now, soon approaching twenty-five, all of the A drama was over – for good this time – and the girls had a chance to grow and take on a life they had only dreamed of:

Aria was on a honeymoon with her new husband and soulmate. Hanna was pregnant and also with her soulmate. Spencer was re-connecting with who she believed was her soulmate while also looking into extending her education. And Emily... Well, Emily was happy. She had two beautiful, happy daughters, and she was married to someone she loved. She wasn't sure if Alison was her soulmate, but Alison, having never felt truly loved before, believed Emily was hers. They were happy. That was all that mattered, right?

But soon, things started to unravel a bit. Despite Ezra's constant and loving support, Aria still had no idea how to deal with the confirmation that she couldn't have kids, that she had fallen into what the doctors called "premature ovarian failure." She was so certain about adoption before leaving for her honeymoon, but her thoughts began to turn selfish... The fact is, she wanted kids of her own. She'd still love to adopt children and raise them like her own, but she wanted to experience pregnancy, she wanted to look into the eyes of something she and Ezra created together. These thoughts of hers made her feel ashamed and unworthy of kids, but she ignored these feelings as much as possible through her honeymoon. Rather, she focused on spending hours in bed with Ezra eating chocolate-filled croissants, sight-seeing Paris (their first stop before moving further south), climbing to the top of the Eiffel tower, and holding Ezra's hand while they peacefully walked through the Louvre without a care in the world. But once she was on the plane back to Rosewood, her mind turned dark. Ezra noticed right away but Aria chalked it up to tiredness and already missing the honeymoon. Ezra didn't believe her, of course, but he left her alone, respecting that she didn't want to talk at the moment. They watched a couple movies on the flight instead, relishing quietly in their return home before falling asleep for the rest of the flight.

Contrary to what she had told her friends, Spencer was _prepared_ to attend law school (if she could only figure out which ones to apply to); and she felt content helping take care of horses and working with Toby on his project in Philly to aid the homeless. She had started up her lobbying work again, and was also working in her mom's law office as a paralegal. It wasn't the best job, but it was a job, and Spencer had veered off her career path too much already.

But she was haunted by the family she never knew she had: Mary and Alex. Where did they go? She saw the policeman haul them both away, but she never asked where they went. As much as Mary and Alex had done to her, she meant it when she said she understood why Alex became AD – just like how she understood Mona and Charlotte. She didn't agree with how they handled their problems (by torturing her and her friends), but she could understood how strong and powerful the feeling like you don't have a family or a place to belong is. It took her most of her life to grow close to Melissa, and her parents weren't always the most cognizant of her (i.e. when she ran away when she was little and no one noticed). She at least had her friends, but she also went through that year after Ali went missing where she felt like she didn't have anyone. She wanted to see her family again...as much as she _didn't_ want to see them.

Meanwhile, Hanna started to watch her stomach grow in intrigue, and soon, dread. She always knew she wanted kids, but she never knew how she would truly feel about pregnancy. She thought she would like it – but then she saw the first set of stretch marks, and her mind began to sour. She kept designing for her second clothing line, happily working with her benefactor, Lucas, and Caleb kept working on his software. They were both working on things that made them happy and fulfilled; they even started to learn to cook together. But the pregnancy was starting to put a damper on things, at least for Hanna. She didn't want to seem superficial with the baby she so badly wanted, but her body was changing...and she hated it.

Life in the DiLaurentis-Fields house played out like an impeccable dream. Every day Emily and Alison would wake up together, change and feed the babies together, and leave for work together after dropping off Grace and Lily with Emily's mom. At Rosewood High they would eat lunch together and leave work together. Then they would play with the babies together, eat dinner together, and watch a movie or TV show together after putting the babies to sleep. To a high school Emily, this was all she had ever dreamed of. Yet, something just did not feel right.

Emily thought she was spending too much time with Alison. Marrying one of the best friends of your best friends made it nearly impossible for them to be separated. Emily began to feel like she needed space... But Alison felt the complete opposite. She spent two years on the run feeling like a member of Earth's scum, unloved and uncared for despite Charlotte's help, because all she wanted was to return to Rosewood and apologize to her friends who she took for granted. She had hurt them, bullied them, and yet she saw how much they grieved for her in death despite how she treated them in life. She held onto that guilt for two years. Since she returned to Rosewood, she felt like she had to give them more years of kindness than she had given years of hurt. At the moment, she had no intention of stopping that trend. Therefore, she clung to her friends, but especially Emily because of their marriage and family. She felt like she had hurt Emily the most, bullying her about her sexuality, and she had to make amends.

Tensions were high again in Rosewood. And it wasn't because of A – no, the girls' fears and insecurities were enough to feed the chaos.

So it's true what they say about monsters: You get so used to them lurking under your bed, as soon as they disappear, you create one to fill the void.


	2. Chapter 1

**Thank you all for your support of this story so far, and thank you for your requests/suggestions. I will definitely be considering them! To clarify, I'm not really looking for anything specific in your ideas/requests... I guess it'll pop up more when I feel like my ideas are waning, but I feel like the story isn't done yet (i.e. "I've still got all these ideas for Spencer's storyline, but I'm struggling with Hanna's!")**

 **I hope you enjoy this next chapter! It's mostly Aria/Ezra centric, even though the second half is from Spencer's POV, but I promise Spencer won't always be roped in with friends and such. She's got a lot of drama on her own that will be addressed later on. :)**

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

 _Aria_

One week after the honeymoon, Aria was surprised to wake up smothered in her own blood down her legs and around her stomach. It looked like she had had an entire period's worth of blood spilled in one day, or was having a miscarriage, neither which was possible. Oddly enough, the cramps were minimal, and so she didn't wake up until Ezra had shaken her shoulders, wondering what the hell had happened. Aria wished she had had an answer.

They went to the emergency room after Aria washed up in the middle of the night to solve what looked like a miniature murder had happened on their bed. Aria kept going to the bathroom every ten minutes during their wait, increasingly concerned as she kept bleeding. It was clotted, like menstrual blood. But she hadn't had a period since she found out her ovaries had powered down weeks ago.

Once a doctor finally took them in, Aria thought Ezra had dug himself into a deep enough panic hole that he would be the one in need of medical assistance. It took only a few minutes for them to get an explanation: even women with premature ovarian failure could have the occasional period, especially in the earlier stages. Aria's onset was recent so it was entirely possible she wasn't completely "shut down" yet, and may never entirely be.

It was entirely possible for her to get pregnant; it was just very, very slim. "A pregnancy would be a miracle at this point," the doctor said as Aria shrugged her jacket back on and slid her clammy hand into Ezra's.

Aria left the emergency room feeling slightly lied to. She knew the chances were slim, but she had been under the impression that she could _never_ have kids, and "never" had no leeway. She and Ezra stopped at the drug store on the way back to their apartment. For the first time in months, Aria stocked up on some pads and tampons. They rented a movie to watch and curled up on the couch, falling asleep there as neither was really in the mood to try to sleep until their brains forced them to unwillingly shut down.

Four weeks after the honeymoon ended, Aria was presented with what she had initially believed was impossible. Bloated, nauseous, and no period in sight, Aria returned to the doctor's to get confirmation that seemed to go against the confirmation she had first gotten a few months prior: she was pregnant.

It looked like they were going to have their happy ending after all – if Aria hadn't been reminded of how precarious her reproductive system was. It was going to be a rough pregnancy. Her body may not be well-equipped enough to handle a fetus, which could mean miscarriage or premature labor. Aria's treatment could be summed up in one word: bedridden.

 _Bedridden_. Aria couldn't imagine keeping her body in such low stress for several months. She may as well just stay in the hospital until her belly blew up and deflated, and a baby was placed in her arms.

"It's not like you have to stay in bed all day and have me serve your every need," Ezra reassured Aria on the car ride home. "You can walk around and do everything you can do... Except vigorous exercise or too much time on your feet." Which meant no more morning runs together, at least not for a while, and no more long shifts helping out at the Brew.

But Aria wanted to talk about a different topic entirely, unrelated to her concerns about bed rest. "You haven't acknowledged it..."

"Acknowledged what?"

Aria's eyes fell down to her lap. "The baby."

Ezra bit down on his cheek, trying not to cry. "I guess I still don't believe this is happening." What he meant to say, Aria was certain, was "I know it is happening, but my main concern right now is trying to keep it alive, and I don't want to grow attached when something happens." _When_ something happens. Aria began to stack more anxiety and uncertainty on her own body. She could also see him thinking, just like her, "This may be our only chance."

Aria tried to clasp her twitching fingers together in her lap, her eyes catching hold of her flat, seemingly normal stomach. "It's happening…," she whispered, her voice getting hoarse from stress. Then, against her will, she started to cry. "What are we going to do?"

Ezra had to pull off the side of the road while Aria's head fell into her hands. Once he put the car in park, he reached out for Aria's hands and squeezed them. "Hey, everything's going to be okay. We just need to take it easy. Easy…" And he grazed the back of her hand with his thumb, as though that would release her insecurities.

"I'm scared," Aria admitted, which wasn't a surprise considering her current emotional state. "I just feel like we're already expecting this baby to not make it, and she's barely more than a ball of cells."

She didn't mention it at the time, but her fear was rooted in insecurity, insecurity that her body could not function like it was supposed to. That it was going to turn on her own child, and she would be the cause of losing its potential life. Her body had already turned on her once; who was to say it wasn't going to malfunction again, and she and Ezra would lose the chance of having a child of their own flesh and blood?

"I'm scared, too," Ezra replied in a low, quiet voice. His hand cupped her cheek. "Aren't all parents-to-be scared?"

Aria wanted to say, "Yes, but most for completely other reasons," but instead she said, "I know, I know… It's just overwhelming. We weren't expecting this to ever happen."

Ezra squeezed her hand as the dimples peeked out of his cheeks from his growing smile. "It's a miracle, isn't it?"

Aria could only squeeze back his hand in response and agree. "Yeah, I guess it is."

Once they reached the apartment, Aria spent the rest of the day on the couch, having to start her bedridden lifestyle right away. _For the baby_ , she kept telling herself. _The baby?_ Her hand hovered over her stomach and she still couldn't believe it. A few weeks ago she was prepared to go to an adoption agency, and now she was going to live through a _miracle_.

Ezra kept bringing her food and water and asking her how she was. Any cramps? He wanted to know. No blood or discomfort? This is exactly what Aria meant. It was just a countdown to how long Aria's body could go before it failed again.

Aria smiled weakly. "No, thank you, I'm fine." Ezra didn't look too convinced. "I'm _fine_ ," she almost whined, pulling the blanket off the back of the couch and curling up in it. "Let's just watch a movie now, okay?"

 _Spencer_

Buried deep in the Internet, Spencer was surprised at how well her brain was still functioning. She had spent hours searching law schools, and none of them called out to her, not even the Ivies. Maybe she was being too picky, she thought. All she had to do was choose a good school, right?

But, for once in her life, she didn't want to stray too far from Rosewood.

Thankfully Spencer's phone rang to break up her growing despair. "Hello?"

"Hey, Spencer." It was Veronica Hastings in all her glory. "I know you're taking a personal day, sweetie, but could you possibly stop by the office soon and help me out with something?"

"Sure," Spencer said, shutting down her laptop. She needed the break. "I'll be there in a few minutes."

On her way out of the barn, she was surprised to see Toby heading towards her. "Oh, hey," she greeted him while locking the door behind her. "What are you doing back from Philly?"

"We're ahead of schedule, so I decided to stop by, assuming you're not busy?"

Spencer gave him an apologetic smile. "The mom called, and I said I'd go help her out." Toby nodded his head understandingly. "...But I'm free this evening."

"Movie and some Scrabble?" Toby suggested.

"We'll see if we get to the Scrabble."

A rosy blush rose up to Toby's cheeks. "I'll see you later, then."

When Spencer was starting the ignition, her phone rang and she picked it up. "I'm on my way—"

"Spencer?"

The voice made Spencer's spine tingle, down to her tailbone and reverberating through her fingertips. "Mary?"

"I'm so relieved to hear your voice."

"Where...where are you?" Spencer wanted to clarify, specifically "Why is this call not coming from a prison?" but her mouth had dried out. She felt like she was choking on dust.

There was a pause as Spencer pictured Mary darting her eyes across some dark, unlit room, hiding underground from the police she was trying to escape. Turns out Spencer's vision was not too far off.

"I'm in a basement in France. Mona's basement. We were never the state's prisoners, we were hers. And now we're her dolls," Mary frantically explained.

Questions were reeling and fighting in Spencer's brain, but she didn't know where to start. "H-how... How are you calling me?" she choked out.

Another pause. "Alex...," Spencer's fingers tightened around the wheel, "stole Mona's phone." While Spencer remained speechless, Mary took it as an opportunity to release her pent-up thoughts. "I just needed to hear your voice, Spencer. I can't stand being trapped in here with this..." She turned around to make sure Alex wasn't near. "This psychopath."

Despite being identical twins, Spencer couldn't relate to Alex at all. Frankly, she wanted nothing to do with her. Nothing but everything – this must have been how Ali felt when she found out Charlotte was A. Spencer had luck on her side while Alex had none, and Spencer felt guilt for that. As much as she wanted to deny it, as much as she wanted to squash it... She couldn't.

Mary's criticism towards her own daughter reminded Spencer of a book she read years ago, _Defending Jacob_. The father truly believed his son did not commit murder, but the mother... The mother always knew. She could feel it in her bones, grinding her heart into a pulp. Spencer wondered if the twist ending was what could happen if Mary spent any more time with Alex.

Exasperated, Spencer huffed, "Well, what do you want me to do about it? I can't just get on a plane and—"

An incoming call broke Spencer's train of thought and she found it to be the perfect escape from the conversation she was not ready to face. "I have to go... The mother who actually raised me is calling."

"Spencer, wait—" But by that point Spencer had already hung up, and put on a voice to trick Veronica into thinking she just had to take something out of the oven and was on her way.

Once Spencer was at the law office, Veronica couldn't have looked more relieved. "Thank God," she sighed, getting up from her greatly cushioned chair to greet Spencer. "Now, I know this might seem trivial, but—"

Spencer saw the clients her mom was sitting down with and recognized them as the most troublesome neighbors in—to put a time and place to it—Aria's neighborhood when she was in high school. They were the literal representation of _Malcolm in the Middle_.

"You need coffee," Spencer said without any hesitation. "I'm on it."

"Thank you," Veronica mouthed before rolling her shoulders back and faking a smile. "So, where were we... Your son ran over your neighbor's cat again and is being threatened with a lawsuit?"

Spencer thought that as long as she was going to run an errand for her mom who dragged her out of the comforts of her barn to fetch her coffee, she might as well have a short chat with a friend. She was fortunate to find a place to park in front of The Brew, and smoothly parallel parked into it.

When she opened the door, the bell dinged with familiarity and nostalgia. The Brew had been so many places to Spencer over the years—retreat from reality, a study area, and now practically her best friend's home. She smiled and waved at Ezra who must be taking a shift at the counter, which was unusual. He typically spent his time at his desk in the back room, or at his desk in the apartment upstairs. He trusted his employees that much—mostly because since he and Aria got engaged, she began working in the coffee/book store in her spare time. (Pro bono, of course, to avoid any more scandal from afflicting her and Ezra's life).

"Hey, what are you doing out here? Where's Aria?"

The side of Ezra's mouth twitched ever so slightly, but Spencer caught it. "Is everything okay?"

A big smile overwhelmed his face, as if he was trying to hide something. "Yeah, everything's fine. She's just upstairs, laying down. It's been a...rough week."

After Spencer put in her order for three large black coffees, cream and sugar on the side, she headed upstairs and knocked on the door. "Hey, it's Spence. Can I come in?"

"The door's unlocked!" called Aria, whose voice sounded tinier than usual.

Spencer opened the door to find Aria curled up on the couch watching some baking challenge on the TV. "God, that looks good," Spencer commented as a close-up of a dark chocolate cake with gooey fudge layers was being cut on the screen.

"I know. I just want to eat it all. You know, I don't really know why I torture myself by watching these shows." And she flipped the channel to a _Friends_ rerun. "What are you doing here?"

"My mom ordered me to buy some coffee, so I decided to stop by and make her wait just a little longer." Spencer saw a similar twitch to Ezra's cross the corner of Aria's mouth, and she placed a hand on Aria's blanket-covered knee. "Hey, is everything all right? Ezra said you were fine, but—"

"He's right. Everything is fine." She crumpled her nose, as she was trying not to cry. "I think..." And her tears started to spill. "Did you know it's completely possible to still get pregnant with premature ovarian failure?"

"Aria," Spencer said softly, "are you..."

"No." Aria wasn't ready to make an announcement that may not be true in a few weeks, so she lied. It was second nature to protect herself, or her friends, or her loved ones by lying, and she had a new loved one to watch out for. "I didn't say anything at the time because it wasn't that big of a deal, but I had a period last month and it scared the crap out of me. I thought I was 'all dried up,' as one doctor put it. Seriously, _every_ fertility specialist I saw just _failed_ to mention that was still possible. And if I'm having a period without taking any hormonal birth control, well, then... I must be ovulating."

Spencer wasn't sure what to say, so she probed a bit deeper. "Have you had one since? Is it regular or—"

"I don't know, Spence." Aria couldn't handle being probed at the moment. "It could have just been a one time thing... But not knowing whether it was or wasn't... God, it's driving me insane."

Spencer clasped her hand with Aria's. "And the adoption agency?"

Aria pursed her lips. "It's on hold for now..."

Leaving Aria's, Spencer grabbed her coffee order and could feel like Ezra was trying to read her mind. "Everything okay?" she asked, challenging his burning stare.

In a split second, his demeanor changed, and he was no longer trying to telepathically pick Spencer's brain. "Yeah! Hey, we should get together for dinner sometime. Aria's been getting really good at chicken parmesan... She keeps beating me at these cooking challenges." Except for his falafel. No one could beat his falafel.

Spencer smiled, though she felt strange doing the action. "Of course. I'll see you later." And with that, Spencer got in her car and pondered what had just happened before turning onto the street to her mom's rescue.


	3. Chapter 2

**Thank you so much for the reviews and views!**

 **Guest: To the guest who mentioned Haleb, I loved your idea so keep an eye out for that conversation this chapter!**

 **T: Don't worry, I won't go down the affair route. I was interested in seeing Emily pursue a different career, though. Thanks for the suggestion!**

 **For those I haven't addressed but have left their input on what they want to see happen with the Liars' lives, I promise I am not ignoring you. I actually have a document containing all of your ideas and suggestions. I wish I could say I will use them all, but I may not be able to. I would specifically appreciate more input on Emily and Hanna, though, just because I feel like I'm working with less material with them than with Spencer and Aria. (As a natural Ezria shipper and Sparia adorer, it's just easier for me to write more for them than the others.) This chapter is almost 1,000 words shorter than the last, but I want to flesh out their storylines just as much!**

 **I hope you all enjoy this chapter!**

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 **Chapter 2**

 _Emily_

Emily woke up at 6AM on a Saturday to clear her head. She slipped out of bed, quickly checked on the peacefully sleeping babies, and threw on some active wear. She plugged up her ears with her running soundtrack and flew across the streets of Rosewood. After an hour of running (with a couple of breaks in between), she didn't want to stop. It was only 7:30AM and she wanted to keep running all morning. But instead of doing that, she decided to shoot Ali a text about how she was shopping for the morning and ran over to The Brew.

When she got there, her heart fluttered to see her three best friends had gotten up in the early hours to see her. "Thank you for responding to my text," she said, sinking into the welcome hug she got from Hanna. She didn't want that to end, either, but Hanna was first to pull away. "Of course, Em. We understand how rough things have been lately…"

The girls glanced at each other awkwardly. This was the first time in months they had gotten together without Alison. But as much as Emily loved her fiancée, she needed something else to talk about, so she quickly changed the topic. "So, may I ask what all of you were doing up so early on a Saturday?" She mostly meant the question for Aria and Hanna, because Spencer was the only one of the bunch who was a genuine early riser. Emily pushed herself to be like that, but she was prone to sleeping in on a weekend every so often.

Hanna nonchalantly said, "Morning sickness. It's probably the worst thing I've ever experienced."

Aria's truth was the same as Hanna's but she lied and said, "Ezra went for an early run and woke me up when he broke the coffee pot. I thought I was going to kill him, but I thought I should give him a second chance." Aria lived for her coffee and everyone knew it. The one thing nobody knew was that she was now drinking decaf.

"Props to you, Aria. If my coffee pot died, I think I would, too."

"And I was—"

"You can save it, Spencer, we all know you were up starting your scholarly pursuits extra early," Hanna interrupted. Spencer had no comment because Hanna was right, so she instead took a long, burning sip of black coffee.

Aria got up and offered Emily some coffee. "Yes, please," Emily said. "Usually my morning runs energize me, but lately I've just been feeling exhausted."

"Have the babies been keeping you up?" Spencer inquired as Aria handed Emily a steaming mug.

"Okay, what's worse, morning sickness or sleep deprivation?" Hanna, again, interrupted.

Emily shrugged. "I don't know. That's more of an Ali question…"

There, she slipped in again. Alison. For the past ten years of Emily's life, everything was about Ali, Ali, Ali. Even when she wasn't around, Emily's mind was captivated by her. A part of her loved it, but a part of her loathed it. What happened to the Emily who had interests outside of her love life? She loved running, but it didn't seem to love her anymore. Was that Alison's influence? Maybe she hadn't known the post-teenage Ali long enough yet…

"Em?" Aria reached out and placed her hand over Emily's. "You okay?"

Emily reassuringly squeezed Aria's hand and took a mega sip of her coffee, not even caring that Aria hadn't put enough cream in it. "I don't know. Honestly…" She glanced out the window, at the sun peeking between the buildings in the distance. "I don't know if I'm happy anymore."

The honeymoon phase, Emily realized as she bid her friends goodbye for the morning and jogged to the grocery store, was a legitimate thing. She and Alison weren't even married and they had already gone through it. Emily could see in Alison's eyes that she was still in it. But, after drowning in Ali for over a year, she needed her space again. She needed to redefine the Emily with Alison, bring her back to her roots.

As Emily approached the grocery store, she slowed down and took a breather for a minute. While she was monitoring her breathing and studying the beautiful morning sky covering the idyllic town center of Rosewood, she spotted a wall covered in flyers. In bright, bold lettering were the words CAREER COUNSELING. Emily strode up to it and plucked it off the wall. As much as she loved to swim, she wasn't sure if coaching was what she wanted to do for the rest of her life. Maybe this was the perfect opportunity to branch away from Ali.

Whenever Emily had these thoughts, she was worried that it meant she didn't love Alison anymore. But she reminded herself that branches bloomed better and more beautiful when they had their space. She and Ali had to find their space and balance and their relationship will blossom into what should hopefully be the rest of their lives.

When Emily returned that morning, Alison was waiting in the kitchen, leaning on the counter while drinking an herbal tea. Unlike the other girls, she wasn't the biggest fan of coffee, and was only getting less fond of it as time went on. "Did you have a nice run?"

Emily took a deep breath, prepared to broach what may or may not be a tough conversation with Alison. "Yeah, it was nice…" She placed some grocery bags on the table, and by the stance Emily took—avoiding Alison's eyes, deep in thought, distracted—Alison knew they were going to go over something rocky. "Listen, Ali…"

And Emily explained to Alison her idea to find a new job outside of Rosewood High, so they could find that work-life balance Emily was craving. At first, Alison was hurt by the prospect that Emily wanted to leave Rosewood High because of her. But the more she thought about it, the more she realized that maybe she was smothering Emily too much, and the last thing she wanted to do was scare her away again. "Em, if this is something you want, I'll support you through it." Emily smiled at her gratefully. "Do you know what you might want to do outside of teaching?"

"No…" Emily held up the flyer. "That's what this is for."

And before they could get too far in embarking on their new journey, shrieks filled the house and Emily and Alison went up together to take care of whatever Grace and Lily wanted this time.

 _Hanna_

Hanna returned to the loft that morning slightly agitated. "Ugh, I hate decaf!" she groaned as she plopped her bag on the ground next to the door. "What am I supposed to do now when I feel so tired?"

Caleb was sitting on the couch, watching the cooking channel which became his new obsession after he couldn't decipher what kind of media he was watching. Hanna stomped over to him and curled up on his side, dropping her head onto his shoulder. "I don't know, maybe try going to bed before two in the morning?"

Hanna couldn't help it. She was a night owl since she was born. Her creativity flourished in the night, but she couldn't fight for long that society's system had everyone up and going before eight. She might be self-employed now, but who knew how long that was going to last. As amazing as her fashion empire was growing, it wasn't going to be enough. She needed to find something solid to lean against until it was built securely to the top—and that could mean an office job yet again.

"I think I'm going to nap here then." She started shutting her eyes, not expecting Caleb to go along with it—he had work to do, too—but she felt his arm wrap around her and she promptly fell asleep.

She dreamed that she was Hefty Hanna, but this time a 25-year-old version of Hefty Hanna. She was at a dinner party with her friends, and for whatever reason they were all 14. The Blonde Leader snarled at Hanna, then uplifted her lips with a smirk. "I thought you gave birth already, Hanna. Or did they leave some quadruplets in there?" Alison began laughing, and the others chimed in half-heartedly, just like they always had when Alison bullied them as a joke.

Before Hanna could suffer any more of Alison's sneers, she jerked awake and was caught around the waist by Caleb. "Is everything okay?" he asked, concerned, as her hand flew to her rapidly beating heart and she caught her breath.

"Yes…" But her throat tightened in the lie. "No. Caleb, I need to tell you something."

Caleb's arm gripped tighter around Hanna, pulling her closer. "What is it?"

"I'm… I'm scared, okay?" She rubbed her throat, wishing it would loosen. "I pushed this pregnancy thing too soon, I think…"

"Hanna." Caleb grabbed the hand that was clawing at her neck and gently squeezed it. "If this is because you're afraid of being a mom… You're going to be a great one, and everyone knows it."

Hanna pushed out of Caleb's embrace and flew off of the couch. "This isn't about being a mom, Caleb! God…" Her hand flew up to her mouth as tears pricked her eyes. "It's all about my insecurities… My body…" She hadn't had any problems with her weight in years; it had fortunately stayed steady thanks to the healthy habits she'd developed to maintain it, but now, with pregnancy, she wasn't so sure. Would her own baby be her undoing?

The flashbacks struck her in the brain stem: the fat rolls, the multiple chins, the never-ending feeling of bloating and hunger. Oh God, the _hunger_. Her stomach couldn't stop craving food once it got used to the humungous amounts she stuffed in it.

Hanna hadn't mentioned it to anyone earlier, but the morning sickness reminded her of when she used to throw up. Just part of the daily routine to feel the bile rise up in her throat. It made her want to be sick again. She grasped her bloated belly and it made her feel fat, even though she wasn't. Instead, it was her worst nightmare—and she didn't want to think of her baby as a nightmare.

As she started to cry, Caleb could only watch on in shock. He hadn't been around when Hanna had her eating disorder, so he didn't know necessarily what to do or what to say. He could comfort her and raise her spirits up, sure, but would that be enough? He didn't know how to sensitively say, "Hanna, if you're afraid of falling back into old habits, then we need to figure a way to handle this insecurity and need to control. You can't starve yourself without starving the baby." He didn't want to make Hanna feel like she needed to lock her concerns away "for the baby." Besides, as important of a driving force as a baby was, some things ended up being stronger, and he didn't want to take any chances with that. So he let it meld in his mind, got up, and pulled Hanna into a hug. "Everything's going to be okay," he said in the meantime. "Everything's going to be okay. We'll figure it out, together, I promise." Fourteen-year-old Hanna wished she had had a Caleb. Because while teenage Alison had pretended to care then taught her to throw up, Caleb genuinely cared as he said, "You will not fight this alone."

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 **Coming up next: Aria tries to deal with her limited freedom through writing, and Spencer and Toby go on a date.**


	4. Chapter 3

**Hey, guys! Thanks a MILLION for all of your reviews and your interest in this story! I appreciate every single one of you!**

 **For those wondering, I'm not writing in Alison or Mona's POVs because, I guess you can say I'm just used to writing the four girls. I've been writing PLL fanfic since before Ali became a series regular, and I just don't think Mona would meld so well in this story. (Besides, she got such a badass ending already, I don't know what I could add to that!) Alison's story melds into Emily's, so you won't be completely left out of Alison's mind.**

 **I'll be planning out some chapters this weekend before writing too much more, so keep sending in your ideas/suggestions! I have them on a Word doc and I love them a lot. Let's hope I don't forget what I've already written, though! #writerproblems (Seriously, I have forgotten what I have/haven't done for a character in previous chapters before.)**

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

 _Aria_

When Aria returned upstairs after meeting with her friends, she curled up on a chair in front of the TV and wrapped herself up in a blanket. She didn't bother turning the TV on, instead allowing the quiet of the apartment to calm her beating heart. Prone to panic attacks in the past, she had started getting progressively anxious the past few days. That didn't mean she was constantly down in the dumps, but this sudden, unexpected shift in her and Ezra's lives had shattered the honeymoon phase. She and Ezra had a lot to suddenly deal with on their plate, to the movie deal to the unexpected baby and wedding gifts they _still_ had to sort through and send thank you cards for.

Eventually she grew tired of monitoring her breathing in the still room, and dragged herself and the blanket to the balcony, propping herself in a chair and watching the streets of Rosewood liven up with its inhabitants. The chirping birds, bustling people, and echoes of laughter lifted her spirits for fifteen minutes. Slowly, she peeled herself off the chair and headed back inside, propping herself up in bed with her laptop.

Her mother had complained of lower back pain while pregnant with her, so Aria already made it a habit to support her lower back with pillows even though she wasn't near heavy enough to noticeably feel any strain. Regardless, she was supposed to be "taking it easy," and sitting on a throne of pillows was comfort for anyone. She opened up a new Word document and stared at the blinking cursor for a minute. She wasn't sure what she was doing, but sometimes her best work came with nonstop typing. Even if she wrote a story that ended up being nonsense, it was still better than staring at a wall.

When Aria typed out a few paragraphs, her stomach began to get upset and she sat on the floor of the bathroom for a few minutes to see if it was something she could wait out or needed immediate attention. She was tempted to contact Hanna and Alison for advice, but she needed to wait for the three month mark at least, which meant she was half way there.

The tile was cold and hard, and she hated how her bones ached getting off of it. She headed back to the bed and stared at her cursor some more. Her fingers yearned to continue typing, but she became afraid of what she may start. Closing her laptop, she got up and got dressed, made some oatmeal and stood at the counter while eating it, tired of sitting the entire morning.

Her phone beeped. It was a text from Ezra. "Took the long route. Be back soon."

Sighing, Aria plopped down on the bed and stared at the ceiling. The apartment was so silent, she swore she could hear the digital clock ticking. The _digital_ clock.

Eventually she did decide to write that story, and her fingers flew across the keyboard.

By the time Ezra returned from his run, Aria was almost done with the short story that had flowed out of her fingertips. "What are you working on so intently?" he asked while grabbing a cool water bottle from the fridge.

"Mmmm. Nothing really important. Just…bored, I guess."

As she began to look over her story, her stomach hardened and her hands went cold. It was like she had blacked out while writing, because the story she began writing was about a lonely woman living in a house by herself while her husband was away on business. But it morphed into her own insecurities, preying on her own fears: the woman was pregnant, ended up having a miscarriage, then found out she could no longer have kids after the fact.

Aria slapped the laptop screen shut, gulping the foreign lump that had grown in her throat. Glancing at Ezra, she was grateful that he was too busy reading the newspaper to notice her sudden shakiness. "Have any dinner plans?" she asked in an attempt to clear her uneasiness, her voice cracking but not faltering.

"Nothing special. I was thinking Thai takeout?"

"I'll make something," she offered, her bare feet padding over to the refrigerator to see what was there. She saw now why he offered Thai takeout: there wasn't much in there at the moment. "I'm craving veggie burgers, so I think I'll go to the store…"

"I can go," he volunteered, as she expected. "You'll be on your feet for a while making those…" Aria had a recipe that involved more than just taking a frozen patty and dropping it on a pan. She preferred to make them fresh and out of scratch, which meant standing at the kitchen counter.

Aria wished to ignore his suggestion (but she didn't) and grabbed her bag while saying, "I think I need to get out of this apartment for a bit. Why don't we go together?"

She understood Ezra's anxieties because they were also a manifestation of her own. But she was building up too much pressure already just "taking it easy." They locked up the apartment and went on a brisk walk to the grocery store, Ezra holding her hand like she was a child who might get lost if she didn't. And maybe she was—just not physically.

While Aria was preparing the veggie burgers later, she kept the TV on for some background noise despite not paying attention to a single word coming from the screen. She intently watched her hands kneed the ground veggies, beans, oatmeal and spices together and slap them on a pan. She was trying to keep her attention in the moment instead of straying off into terrifying "what if" scenarios. But her mind kept smothering her with a multitude of concerns, from the baby she may not be able to protect from her own body, to her feeling self-isolated from her friends by not telling them about her developing issues, and to how she may go crazy with no work to do.

She ended up calling her boss, Jillian, to ask if she could return to work earlier than anticipated. She and Ezra had both taken off a decent chunk of time for the beginning of their marriage, but Aria already felt like she was going stir crazy and needed another outlet. She loved her career, and wanted to keep moving with it before she… _if_ she…gave birth and had to take more time off. She was surprised how open Jillian was to letting her return to work without any warning, offering her multiple projects that could be done in the comfort of her own bedroom or office. With no intention to return to Boston, Aria was prepared for Jillian to drop her. But with her and Ezra's hit novel selling millions and with a movie deal in the midst, she guessed Jillian wanted to keep such a success on her hands—which gave Aria a perfect opportunity to publish her own works, too.

After hanging up, Aria waited excitedly for Jillian's emails to slide into her inbox. But Jillian was a busy woman, and wasn't going to send Aria anything immediately after their phone call. So, Aria was forced to stay in her thoughts, choosing to visit Ezra down in The Brew to kill some time.

When she saw him working attentively at his desk, with the newly framed wedding picture and a couple's portrait they had taken years ago decorating it, Aria felt the contents of her stomach swirl. She thought she was going to throw up, but it was just a false alarm, and she could feel tears jabbing at her eyes. "I was thinking…," she said as she walked into the room, disrupting his concentration, even though she didn't know what she had been thinking until it came out of her mouth. "I think we need to tell someone about this." She started to cry. "Like my parents. I can't keep this to ourselves anymore. I'm tired of keeping secrets…" And she collapsed onto his lap, laying her head on his shoulder.

Ezra's arms instinctively wrapped around her body. "Hey… It's okay… Whatever you think is best, we'll do it, okay? We'll visit them tomorrow."

Aria nodded and, even after she was done crying, she stayed curled up on his lap a little longer, soaking in the warmth and reassurance. The knot in her stomach began to release, and she knew when his arms wrapped around her that she was capable of anything, because no matter what, she would always have him by her side.

 _Spencer_

Spencer spent the rest of her day in her mom's office, working on some paperwork she assumed her mom was too busy (and hopefully not too lazy) to finish. She kept her energy up for the day by focusing on something positive and/or something to look forward to—her date with Toby tonight, for example.

When Spencer left at 4:30, she felt exhilarated and freed. She checked her phone and saw she had a text from Toby, Aria, and Emily.

Aria: _Dinner at my place on Saturday?_

Emily: _Thanks again for this morning... I really appreciated your help._

Toby: _I'm going to pick you up around 6:30. Does that sound okay?_

Spencer quickly replied to all of them: _Yes! Sign me up for that chicken parm!_ and _Any time. You know that, Em._ and...

She pondered whether to try to fit a pun in or not. She eventually went with the simplistic answer: _Sounds wonderful! Can't wait..._

Once Spencer returned home, she had about an hour and a half until Toby would pick her up. The week had been long and stressful, and her weekend was looking pretty hectic as well. She decided to use her precious time by herself by sinking into the tub with a glass of wine. _Yes_ , she thought as the warm bubbles took over. _If only I had a twenty-four-seven masseuse..._

Spencer wasn't the type to spend too much time getting ready for a date. It took her only fifteen minutes to get dressed up: heels, cute dress, some shimmery eyeshadow, mascara, and a bold lipstick. Recently Aria had introduced Spencer to lipsticks, which Spencer had never been a big fan of, but now she was obsessed with them.

At 6:30 sharp, Toby texted, _Parked in the driveway._ Spencer toddled across her lawn - she had never mastered the art of walking across grass on heels - and straightened up as soon as her feet hit concrete.

"Hi," she greeted him as she stepped into shotgun. But she didn't say it like any other greeting: she said it so that it implied a greeting _kiss_. Toby got the hint and leaned towards her to properly greet her.

"So, where are we doing tonight?" Spencer asked while buckling in.

"I was thinking dinner and a movie."

"How typical." Spencer joked. "But I love it."

Since they started dating again, Spencer and Toby made it an adventure to try a new restaurant for every date. Last week they took a culinary trip to Egypt, but tonight they were going to...

"Greece. I'm stoked," Spencer said, hopping out of the parked car.

The evening was perfect for a dinner outside. A couple of candles burned away on their table while the patio lights were dimmed. They weren't the only couples out tonight; the place was teeming with them, which explained the amorous atmosphere the restaurant put out.

"I never thought of Greek food as romantic," Spencer commented as she looked over the menu: the classic gyro, salads with goat cheese, and baklava for dessert, all with a "fancier" touch to them—whatever that meant.

Once they ordered, the couple finally settled down. Spencer took Toby's hand, which was minding its own business laying on the table, and squeezed it. "Listen..." If she wasn't going to resolve it now, it was never going to be resolved. "We never finished that conversation..."

"Right..." She could feel Toby's hand shrinking away from hers, but she kept a firm grip on it as if to say, _Having this conversation won't break us. Not again._

 _The mood was mixed by the time the wedding reception came along. Most of the guests were still confused and concerned why the wedding had been cancelled and rescheduled in the first place; gossip spread around about how Ezra could have hit his head so violently and "ended up in the hospital," missing his own wedding._

 _Spencer wished she didn't know every single detail that went down that day. But it was her friends' party, and she wanted to celebrate. After delivering a heartwarming speech about how amazing Aria ("Oh, and Ezra, too, of course!") was as a friend, she was ready to loosen up on the dance floor. However, there was that entire tradition where the couple had to take the first dance—and it was typically a slow song, too._

 _Spencer, Hanna, Emily, and Alison sat at a table watching Aria and Ezra's first dance as a married couple begin. "My God, first you have to declare your love for each other with God as your witness, and then you have to show it off some more with a dance? I mean, I know this is all traditional, but it just seems so_ awkward, _" Hanna commented on the ordeal. The girls looked at her strangely, thinking she would be the one who would adore all of that, but she didn't have a traditional marriage celebration like they also thought she would._

 _Unlike Hanna, Spencer thought the complete opposite. "Well, I think the entire thing is romantic." (Oh, how their roles have changed over the years, despite Spencer's claims that she was "always" a romantic.) She offered Toby her hand and they took the dance floor, being the chain reaction for other couples to join in._

 _For the first minute of dancing, they did nothing but sway and dart their eyes from each other to their surroundings. Spencer guessed things hadn't completely thawed between her and Toby yet._

 _"Can I ask you something personal?" Spencer finally breached the silence._

 _"Of course, Spence. You can ask me anything."_

 _"I don't know if you'll like this one..."_

 _"Try me." And he smiled._

 _Hesitantly, Spencer tried to phrase her question: "I just never asked how you felt when you found out Alex had manipulated you... Manipulated_ us _._ Violated _us."_

 _Toby's smile had faded. "Well, I don't know how I was supposed to feel. Betrayed, sure. Manipulated, violated, all of those things. But how I was supposed to deal with the situation? I wasn't sure. I just can't get over how I never noticed it wasn't you. I recognized something was off, but I never—"_

 _The two hadn't noticed that the song had ended and the music was picking up. A pair of arms that weren't Toby's wrapped around Spencer's neck—it was the ecstatic bride, who was jumping up and down and asking if she could borrow Spencer for a song. "Do you remember this from the eighth grade? This was our_ jam _!"_

 _Spencer couldn't refuse Aria's wishes, so she grabbed Toby's hand and brought him along to the dance circle that was forming. There was only one more slow song the rest of the night, and by that point everyone was preparing to leave, Spencer included, who_ again _got roped into being a designated driver, this time for every one of her friends (including—yes, including—the bride and groom) except for Toby, who, like her, didn't party as hard as they wanted to that night. And they couldn't discuss anything in the car because, even if it did offer them some privacy (which it didn't), everyone in the back was talking and laughing so loudly._

"What I wanted to say was… I _did_ feel violated and betrayed, but most of all I am ashamed that I didn't recognize it wasn't you… I feel like I could get over everything else—brush it off as not meaning anything, which it didn't—but at the time, I thought it was, so I thought it was meaningful. And…" Spencer understood the convolutedness, and let his thoughts drift off.

In the end, Spencer and Toby had to come to the conclusion that they may never fully comprehend how Alex fit into this situation, other than that they both felt wronged and manipulated by her. As much as she tried to break them apart, what Alex couldn't have predicted was how much closer she made them. They needed each other, especially now. And, Spencer hoped after that moment, they would keep needing each other, because having a friend like Toby was more than she ever thought she deserved.

* * *

 ** _Coming up next:_ Hanna turns to an unlikely ally for advice on her body anxiety while Emily begins looking for a new career. **


End file.
